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Civil society nominees on the Joint Drafting Committee for the Lokpal Bill are elated over the fact that the Government’s first Lokpal Bill is very similar to their draft Jan Lokpal Bill. They claim this would enable them to impress upon the Government to accept the provisions of the Jan Lokpal Bill.
The civil society nominees had received from the Government the eight Lokpal Bills of the Standing Committee four days ahead of the joint panel’s meeting on Monday. “Several provisions of the first Lokpal Bill of 1968 are very similar to those of our Jan Lokpal Bill,” said Arvind Kejriwal, one of the nominees of Anna Hazare on the joint panel.
“We are yet to study in detail all the eight Bills, particularly the first one. But at the first glance, we could make out that its provisions like bringing the Prime Minister under the purview of the Lokpal are same,” Kejriwal said, adding that the provisions got watered down in the subsequent Bills.
The first Lokpal Bill was passed in the Fourth Lok Sabha in 1969 but could not get through in Rajya Sabha. Lokpal Bills were subsequently introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008, but could not be passed.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice (retd) Santosh Hegde exuded confidence that they are in a better position to make the Government see reason. “We can now say, look at your own Bill,” he told The Pioneer from Bangalore.
He said the first Bill was a “perfect model” for the Lokpal. “But when corruption in politics and administration increased, the subsequent Bills got deviated for bad,” he said.
The First Administrative Reforms Commission of 1966, with then MP Morarji Desai as chairman, while recommending the constitution of Lokpal was convinced that such an institution was justified not only for removing the sense of injustice from the minds of adversely affected citizens but also necessary to instill public confidence in the efficiency of administrative machinery.
The civil society members are demanding that their draft Jan Lokpal Bill should be the basis on which the Lokpal Bill be drafted.
Kejriwal added that though they had presented their draft Jan Lokpal Bill to the Committee on April 16, the Government nominees on the joint panel have agreed to accept the changes in them till the next couple of meetings.
Changes would be brought about as a result of the suggestions being offered during the public consultations being held by India Against Corruption campaign. However, Kejriwal categorically denied that PM or judiciary would be excluded from their draft.
The civil society nominees had received from the Government the eight Lokpal Bills of the Standing Committee four days ahead of the joint panel’s meeting on Monday. “Several provisions of the first Lokpal Bill of 1968 are very similar to those of our Jan Lokpal Bill,” said Arvind Kejriwal, one of the nominees of Anna Hazare on the joint panel.
“We are yet to study in detail all the eight Bills, particularly the first one. But at the first glance, we could make out that its provisions like bringing the Prime Minister under the purview of the Lokpal are same,” Kejriwal said, adding that the provisions got watered down in the subsequent Bills.
The first Lokpal Bill was passed in the Fourth Lok Sabha in 1969 but could not get through in Rajya Sabha. Lokpal Bills were subsequently introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008, but could not be passed.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice (retd) Santosh Hegde exuded confidence that they are in a better position to make the Government see reason. “We can now say, look at your own Bill,” he told The Pioneer from Bangalore.
He said the first Bill was a “perfect model” for the Lokpal. “But when corruption in politics and administration increased, the subsequent Bills got deviated for bad,” he said.
The First Administrative Reforms Commission of 1966, with then MP Morarji Desai as chairman, while recommending the constitution of Lokpal was convinced that such an institution was justified not only for removing the sense of injustice from the minds of adversely affected citizens but also necessary to instill public confidence in the efficiency of administrative machinery.
The civil society members are demanding that their draft Jan Lokpal Bill should be the basis on which the Lokpal Bill be drafted.
Kejriwal added that though they had presented their draft Jan Lokpal Bill to the Committee on April 16, the Government nominees on the joint panel have agreed to accept the changes in them till the next couple of meetings.
Changes would be brought about as a result of the suggestions being offered during the public consultations being held by India Against Corruption campaign. However, Kejriwal categorically denied that PM or judiciary would be excluded from their draft.
